Wireless radio frequency instrumentation and adaptive network management system

ABSTRACT

Proactive systems for monitoring, diagnosing, and providing a plan of corrective action for Radio Frequency (RF) hardware components as part of a greater system or network in telecommunications. The system can be used for remote sites and in conjunction with current network management tools as the most prolific and fundamental piece of instrumentation in telecommunication networks. The system can be used simply as an RF development instrument for any industry requiring the use of high frequency signals. It consists of four sensor modules that are wirelessly linked to a receiver module which could be miles away. The sensors are RF power detector, Spectrum Analyzer, Interference Cancelling Synthesizer, dual function RF power detector and spectrum analyzer. The data gathered allows the user to create a profile for specific malfunctions in the RF chain, as well as interference direction, strength and source type leading to remotely deployed solution, and a mobile network.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/813,039 filed Mar. 9, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/036,934 filed Jul. 16, 2018, which issued onMar. 10, 2020 as U.S. Pat. No. 10,587,352, which is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 15/166,751 filed May 27, 2016, which issued onJul. 17, 2018 as U.S. Pat. No. 10,027,429, which claims the benefit ofpriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/168,566 filed May 29,2015, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field monitoring wirelesscommunication links.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As the wireless communication needs grow in the commercial and militarysector, not only is it necessary for the devices to comply with thecommunication standards to prevent FCC regulation violations, but alsoto ensure reliability of data delivery to the customer, which can oftentimes be hampered by hardware failure, lack of adequate data management,and signal interference. There is also a need to be able to makeaccurate measurements at the receiving and transmitting source that maybe at a remote site without the ability to be at the site, thusrequiring the need to have a long range instrument that can measure RFpower, perform spectral analysis to find interference, and takecorrective action toward that interference remotely. The ability to havelong distance remote RF power reads, and spectral analysis, cannothowever be accompanied with long delay in rise time or large systemvideo bandwidth which then would make the measurement less reliable andin need of overhead for correction and compensation. Most commercialsignals have video bandwidth that approaches 100 MHz and most peak powerdetectors can handle such signals, but there are signals that approach200 MHz bandwidth such as multi-carrier wireless or high data ratesatellite signals for which the peak power detectors are not a viablesolution. In this case a swept frequency measurement could at least givean average power for the signal. Finally, in-depth analysis of signalsrequires the ability not just to know the amplitude in time but alsomodulation and spectral distribution in the frequency domain.

The market needs a device that can deliver wide measurement bandwidth,that can cover most if not all signal bandwidth, with a long distanceremote measurement capability that does not introduce rise time delaythrough a physical link to the user, and can deliver raw unprocesseddata with minimal system video bandwidth. The market also needs a systemthat is modular in platform and allows for construction of a uniquesystem based on user choice for what kinds of modules can be puttogether in a system to achieve desired customer performance andfunctionality. Not to mention a networking capability that allows datamanagement solutions on its own or as part of a greater networkmanagement solution, specifically for cellular networks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary RF power detector sensormodule.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for an exemplary spectrum analyzer sensormodule.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary RF interference and noisefiltering sensor module.

FIG. 4 is block diagram of an exemplary dual function sensor module.

FIG. 5 presents an exemplary block diagram of the receiver module of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The system is composed of 5 modules: four wireless sensor modules, and areceiver module. The five modules come as modular platforms which allowthe system to be functionally various and user defined. The system isduplex, allowing two-way communication between the receiver module andsensor modules. There are four sensor module types: standalone RF powerdetector sensor module 100, standalone spectrum analyzer sensor module200, dual function sensor module 400, and RF interference and noisefiltering sensor module 300. The receiver module 500 sends instructionsto the dual function sensor module to switch between either time domainmode data acquisition which can give peak and RMS instantaneous powerreads, or swept frequency domain data acquisition which gives spectralinformation regarding the sampled RF signal as well as average power ofthe RF signal. Both functions cannot be active at the same time, and theswitching of functions can take place at the discretion of the user.

The detector section for either the standalone RF power detector sensormodule or dual function sensor module detects RF power incoming into therespective sensor module through a matching network and detects the RFpower using either RMS, log, or peak RF power detector turning pulsed orcontinuous RF power to a DC signal. The detected DC signal is thendigitized by an ADC (analog to digital converter). The signal emergingfrom ADC is sent to external memory where it is stored and read out by amicrocontroller. The microcontroller sends the data to an RF transceiverwhich modulates the signal using FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) and thenusing the attached antenna will send the signal to the receiver module.

The spectral analysis section for either the dual function sensor moduleor the standalone spectrum analyzer sensor module is made up of a signalconditioning block which readies the signal of interest for sampling.Then an ADC samples the signal of interest and digitizes the signal. Thesample length of a signal might be very large containing many harmonicsand possessing a bandwidth of 200 MHz. Thus, the digitized data iswritten to an external memory device. Once all the data is sampled andwritten to external memory a microcontroller/processor reads out thesampled data and turns it into predetermined packets of data. Thesepackets are then transmitted to the receiver module using a transceiverthat utilizes FSK modulation schemes which are least energy intensiveand most robust.

Presently and in the foreseeable future the world is awash with RFsignals, both as noise and signals carrying data for all kinds ofapplications, most notably telecommunications and internet. The resultis many instances of interference which can be quite costly to removewith all current solutions, requiring physical removal or restructuringof infrastructure. Interference is happening because the transmitter ofinterest which is broadcasting the signal that is wanted is in positionwith another transmitter that is broadcasting an unwanted signal in sucha way as to mimic the Young Double Slit (YDS) experiment. In essence thetransmitters are acting as two slits that are sources for RF and becauseof their position and proximity are producing an interference effect forthe receiver.

The interference filtering sensor that is part of this current inventionis the automated solution to that problem. This sensor works inconjunction with the spectrum analyzer sensor, dual function sensor, andRF power detector sensor. Once the other sensors collect the appropriatedata and send it to the receiver module for analysis, the source,direction, strength and frequency of the interferer are determined. Thereceiver module will then construct the profile of the appropriate RFsignal that would filter the interfering signal to below acceptablethreshold levels where functionality is maintained. The RF interferenceand noise filtering sensor module is not a jamming device as it will notwillfully attack the source of interference; rather it filters unwantednoise and harmonics at the input of the device for which theinterference needs to be reduced.

The RF interference and noise filtering sensor module first receives thesignal profile either from the receiver module or directly from anothersensor module like the spectrum analyzer sensor module through thereceiver of the transceiver 306 on the front end of the spectrumanalyzer sensor module. Then the RF interference and noise filteringsensor module will synthesize out band frequency signals that areanti-phase to the signals coming from the interfering source. Thetransmitter 314 on the RF interference and noise filtering sensor modulewill send out the filtering RF signals that will add destructively tothe interference signal. The transmitter 314 is the filter output of theRF interference and noise filtering sensor module. The sensor RFinterference and noise filtering sensor module will be acting as a thirdslit in the YDS arrangement which is in very close proximity to thereceiver and thus will filter out inter-modulation signals, and othersignals that would saturate the receiver and degrade the quality of thesystem.

Once the filtering is complete the RF interference and noise filteringsensor module reports its success or failure to the receiver moduleusing the receiver of the transceiver on its front end. In essence theRF interference and noise filtering sensor module acts as anotherindicator for the receiver module as to the success or failure of theinterference removal strategy or algorithm used. The way the sensor RFinterference and noise filtering sensor module determines if thestrategy for filtering succeeded is by getting direct measurementresults from the spectrum analyzer sensor module to which it has adigital connection. The new measurement is compared to the previous datasent by the receiver module and an interpolation algorithm determines ifcertain thresholds are met, if they are then the filtering has worked,if not it has not.

In that case a failure response is sent to the receiver module throughthe transmitter of the interference filtering sensor transceiver 306.Once that happens the process is started anew in which the receivermodule sends instruction to both the spectrum analyzer sensor module andRF power detector sensor module to collect more data and create a newprofile of the interferer so that a new set of filtering parameters canbe constructed for sending to the RF interference and noise filteringsensor module. The receiver of the transceiver for the RF interferenceand noise filtering sensor module is also used to send diagnostic aswell as sample of the synthesizer output signal for verification offunction to the receiver module.

The receiver module receives the signal from the spectrum analyzersensor module and RF power detector sensor module and performs numericaland logical analysis of the incoming signals. It finally formats thesignals and then broadcasts the signals either through an Ethernet LANconnector or a USB connector to a PC or display of the user's choosing.The receiver module uses a FPGA which has the digital hardware on it forconducting FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) necessary for spectral analysisof the incoming data from either the dual function sensor or RF powerdetector sensor module. However, if the user is not interested inspectral analysis and wants a power detector only, then amicroprocessor/microcontroller can be used to analyze the detected RFpower. Both the FPGA and the microprocessor/microcontroller can be ofany type as is understood by those who are skilled in the art. The FPGAalso has formatting logic for the time domain data incoming from the RFpower detector sensor module for display. The receiver module hasexternal memory block to the FPGA which can record data for a period oftime and show the evolution of the modulated RF signals in real time andthus capture anomalous events occurring in a sequence of time. Thereceiver module also has a flash memory block which allows for thereprogramming of the FPGA with all the required digital logic andnumerical analysis blocks to conduct the analysis of the incoming datasignals in case of a power outage or turning off the system when it'snot in use.

Both receiver module and sensor modules have external triggeringcapability so that they can sample and analyze pulsed systems and power.

RF Power Detector Sensor Module:

FIG. 1 titled RF POWER DETECTOR SENSOR MODULE is a block diagram of anexemplary RF power detector sensor module. All signal propagation can bewired or wireless. Input connector 102 which can be N-type male or SMAmale connectors or any type of connector for interfacing between the RFpower detector sensor module and the source of signal of interest,couples the RF input signal to (impedance) matching network 104. Afterthe matching network 104 the signal is coupled to the RF power detector106. The RF power detector 106 can be peak, average, RMS, log,thermocouple, thermal, radiation detect, optical, digital sampler, orany other RF detector type as understood by those skilled in the art.After detection the detected signal is coupled to the ADC sampling block108 for sampling. The ADC 108 can be of Flash, sigma-delta, dual slopeconverter, successive approximation converter, or of any type known tothose skilled in the art. Once sampled, the detected signal, now indigital form, can be written into memory 110, an external memory. Thisexternal memory block 110 can be flash, SDRAM, DDR, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4 orany memory type known to those skilled in the art.

The digitized detected signal now in memory can be read from memoryusing a microcontroller/processor 112. The coupling between the memory110 and the microcontroller/processor 112 preferably is a duplex pathallowing for the microcontroller/processor 112 to read from or writeinto the memory 110. The microcontroller/processor 112 also has a duplexpath 17 to the ADC 108, allowing the microcontroller/processor 112 toget digitized data directly from the ADC 108 without having the datafirst be written into external memory. This is a useful feature thatallows direct access by microcontroller/processor 112 to digitized datawhen the data is short in duration. Path 117 also allows for themicrocontroller/processor 112 to write to the registers of the ADC 108and also enable the ADC 108. This way the ADC 108 can change itsmeasurement range and be turned on or off.

When the microcontroller/processor 112 has access to the digitizeddetected data, it must packetize that data so that it can be transmittedto the receiver module, to be subsequently described. Once the packetsare ready the microcontroller/processor 112 sends the packetized data toan FSK transceiver 114. The microcontroller processor 112 can be a RISKprocessor, an FPGA, an ARM or any other processor type known to thosewho are skilled in the art. The transceiver 114 can be FSK or any othertype known to those who are skilled in the art. The duplex path betweenthe microcontroller processor 112 and the transceiver 114 also allowsthe transceiver 114 to send instructions received from the receivermodule for programming other blocks in the RF power detector sensormodule, such as ADC 108 and external memory 110. The transceiver 114will send the RF packets constructed by the microcontroller/processor112 to the receiver module by wirelessly transmitting the packets usingantenna 116. The antenna 116 can be simple dipole, dish, polarized,array, or any other antenna type known to those who are skilled in theart.

The blocks described above require power and clock to properly function.Four of the above blocks, microcontroller/processor 112, ADC 108,external memory 110, transceiver 114 require individual clock signalsfor proper function. To achieve clocking for those blocks a clockgenerating chip 121 is used. This clock generating chip 121 has to beprogrammed in order to generate the different types of clock signalsneeded by the blocks. The microcontroller/processor 112 uses path 126 toprogram the synthesizing registers of the clock generating chip 121which then outputs clock signals Clk1 to the transceiver 114, Clk2 toexternal memory 110, and Clk3 to ADC 108. The microcontroller/processor112 uses its own clock source from crystal oscillator 144. Thisoscillator 144 can be of any type known to those skilled in the art. Theclock generating chip 121 also has its own oscillator 119 for clockreference and source.

What remains to be described for this RF power detector sensor module isthe power source for all blocks and its elements. All the blocks in thisRF power detector sensor module that are essential to functionalityrequire DC power to operate. This DC power source is a battery 133 whichcan be Nickle type, Lithium Ion, cell, or any other type known to thosewho are skilled in the art. The battery 133 is connected to distributionpoints by path 134. The power is distributed as PWR to clock generator121, to clock generator reference oscillator 119, to oscillator Clksource of microcontroller processor oscillator 144, to transceiver 114,to microcontroller/processor 112, to external memory 110, to ADC 108 andto RF detector 106.

The battery 133 needs to be recharged periodically so it can continue todeliver power to the elements in the RF power detector sensor modulethat need it. The recharging is sourced both from renewable energy suchas solar and ambient RF power of the near field. For ambient RF, theantenna 127 receives the ambient environmental RF power from any sourcethat is around and couples it to charging block 131. The charging block131 is a battery management technology such as a buck converter or anyother type known to those who are skilled in the art. The charge is thenfed to the battery through path 132 to battery 133. For using solar forthe renewable charging source, a small form factor solar panel 129 cancollect energy from the sun and convert it to DC current and throughpath 130 send it to the charging block 131. Here again the buckconverter manager can allocate that charge to the battery 133.

For pulsed power input signals there needs to be external triggeringthat is brought to the sensor to accommodate the pulses to be measured.The connector 146 brings the external trigger into the sensor and passesit to the processor 112 through path 147. The connector 46 can be SMA orany other type of connector known to those skilled in the art.

Spectrum Analyzer Sensor Module:

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for an exemplary spectrum analyzer sensormodule. The RF signal of interest enters the input connector 202 whichcan be an SMA or N-type male or any other RF signal interfacingconnector known to those skilled in the art. The RF signal then iscoupled to the signal conditioning block 204 which filters and cleansthe signal. Once the signal is filtered, the signal is then coupled tothe ADC 206. The signal is sampled at the necessary sampling speed tocapture the entire signal according to the Nyquist criterion. The ADC206 can be of any type as understood by those skilled in the art.

Once the signal of interest has been digitized it is written intoexternal memory 209. The external memory 209 can be of any memory typeknown to those who are skilled in the art. The signal can be read fromexternal memory 209 through duplex path 210 by microcontroller/processor211. The microcontroller/processor 211 is also connected by duplex path207 to ADC 206 so that it can write to ADC 206 registers and have accessto output data from ADC 206 directly. This allows themicrocontroller/processor 211 to bypass the external memory 209 if thesignal of interest is small or there is no need for long recording ofsignals. The microcontroller/processor 211 can be a RISK processor orany other type of processor known to those skilled in the art.

Once the digitized signal of interest is accessed bymicrocontroller/processor 211, either from ADC 206 directly or fromexternal memory 209, it is formatted into predetermined RF packets to betransmitted. The packetized data is sent through duplex path 212 to atransceiver 214. The transceiver 214 can be of FSK modulation scheme orany other type as known by those skilled in the art. The transceiver 214can also send instructions from the receiver portion of transceiver 214to microcontroller/processor 211 that can update themicrocontroller/processor 211 on how to manage the other blocks. Once inpossession of the RF packets from the microcontroller/processor 211 thetransceiver 214 couples the data through duplex path 215 to the antenna216 which is wirelessly linked to the receiver module. The antenna canbe a dipole, dish or any type as understood by those skilled in the art.The antenna 216 can receive transmissions from the receiver module thatis wirelessly linked to the spectrum analyzer sensor module to updatethe spectrum analyzer sensor module with measurement instructions.

All the sensor elements described above have to be powered and clockedto achieve functionality. The blocks have different clock needs, as indifferent frequency clock signals. Multiple clock signals of differingfrequency types are generated using a clock generating chip 220 that canbe programmed to produce many clocking signals of different frequencies.The microcontroller/processor 211 is connected to programming registersof clock generating chip 220 for such programming. This way the clockgenerating chip 220 can be programmed to synthesize clock signals: Clk1for ADC 206, Clk2 for external memory 209 and Clk3 for transceiver 214.The clock generating chip 220 obtains its own clock/reference sourcefrom an oscillator 218. The microcontroller/processor 211 also has tohave its own oscillator 241 for a clock source. Both the clockgenerating chip and oscillators can be of any type known to thoseskilled in the arts.

The power needed to enable the function of all these blocks has to be aDC source and must come from a battery 231. The battery 231 sourcescurrent and voltage to all circuit elements and distributes the powerPWR for ADC 206, to external memory 209, to microcontroller/processor211, to transceiver, to clock generating chip 220, to oscillator 218 andto oscillator 241.

The battery 231 needs to be periodically charged so that it cancontinuously deliver power to the blocks. The source of recharging is acombination of ambient near field RF and solar. The antenna 226 canreceive ambient near field RF and couple it to the charging block 229which can be a buck booster and battery manager type chip. Both antennas226 and charging block 229 can be of any type known to those skilled inthe art. The charging block 229 can then deliver charge to the battery231. The other charging source can be solar. The small solar panel 225can convert solar energy into current and deliver that energy to thecharging block 229. The solar panel can be of any type and dimensionknown to those skilled in the art.

For pulsed power input signals there needs to be external triggering toaccommodate the pulses to be measured. The connector 243 can couple atrigger signal to the processor 211 through path 244. The connector 243can be SMA or any other type of connector known to those skilled in theart.

There may be a need to send digital information directly from thespectrum analyzer sensor module to the RF interference and noisefiltering sensor module to be described, in which case there needs to bea digital output connector that sends the signal to the RF interferenceand noise filtering sensor module. The digital signal is sent fromprocessor 211 to connector 245. The connector can be of any type asunderstood by those skilled in the art.

RF Interference and Noise Filtering Sensor Module:

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary RF interference and noisefiltering sensor module. In this figure the input data for constructingthe cancelling RF signal comes either from antenna 302 or digitalinterface 304. The data from antenna 302 is coupled to transceiver 306.The antenna and transceiver can be of any type known to those skilled inthe art.

The data coming into the sensor can be either in analog form throughantenna 302 and receiver of transceiver 306 or it can be digital comingdirectly from the spectrum analyzer sensor module. This digital data cancome into sensor from digital interface 304 and directly pass to theprocessor 310. Otherwise the analog data is digitized by the transceiver306 and can be either sent to external memory 309 through path 307 or tothe processor 310 through duplex path 308. The processor 310 is alsoconnected to external memory 309 through duplex path 311. The externalmemory and processor on this RF interference and noise filtering sensormodule can be of any type as understood by those skilled in the art.

The blocks consisting of the processor 310, transceiver 306, andexternal memory 309 make up the data profile recording and exchange ofthe signal that is to be constructed to cancel or reduce the interferingsignal. The processor 310 is connected to RF reference 347 block and thesynthesis 312 block. The reference 347 block is used to produce thereference RF signal needed by the synthesis 312 block to produce theinterference cancelling RF signal. The processor 310 instructs andmanages both blocks to optimize and actualize the signal production. Thereference 347 block is needed as the need for producing certainfrequency specific reference signals with high precision might begreater than the clock generating chip 348 can produce, so a dedicatedblock is needed. The synthesis 312 block is connected to a transmitter314 block and sends the profile of the cancelling RF signal to thetransmitter 314. The transmitter 314 transmits the cancelling RF signalthrough path 315 for transmission through antenna 316.

The synthesis 312 block can be a Direct Digital Synthesizer (DDS) madeup of any additional blocks known by those who are skilled in the art.The reference 347 block can be oscillators and other blocks that are ofany type known to those who are skilled in the art. The transmitter 314can be of any high-powered transmitter. The antenna 316 can be adirectional antenna with many reflectors or of any type. The processor310 has to have its own oscillator as a clock source. The oscillator 319is the processor clock signal source. It allocates a clock signalthrough path 318 to the clock input port of the processor 310.

The clock generating chip 348 is tasked with providing clock signals toall blocks on the RF interference and noise filtering sensor module thatneed it. The clock signals distributed by the clock generating chip 348are: Clk1 for transmitter 314, Clk2 for synthesis 312, Clk3 fortransceiver 306, Clk4 for Reference 347, Clk5 for external memory 309.The clock generating chip 348 is connected to the processor 310 toreceive instructions for clock output register programming received bythe processor 310 through transceiver 306. The clock source for theclock generator 348 block comes from oscillator 323. The oscillator 323and clock generator chip 348 can be of any type.

The power source for all blocks that need DC power comes from battery336. The battery 336 distributes power PWR to clock generating chip 348,to transmitter 314, to synthesis 312 block, to external memory 309, toprocessor 310, to transceiver 306, to reference 347 block, to oscillator319, and to oscillator 323.

The battery 336 needs to be recharged periodically to be able to providecontinuous power. The source for recharge is a combination of ambient RFfrom the near field and solar. The antenna 330 receives the ambient RFand passes it to charging 334 block which is a buck regulator or acharging and battery management chip of any type known in the art. Theantenna 330 can be a dipole or of any type. The solar panel 332 gatherssolar energy and passes that energy to charging 334 block. The solarpanel 332 can be of any type and dimension known in the art. The chargefrom either source gathered by the charging 334 block can be sent to thebattery 336 through path 335.

For pulsed power input signals there needs to be external triggeringthat is brought to the sensor to accommodate the pulses to be measured.The connector 349 brings in the external trigger into the RFinterference and noise filtering sensor module and passes it to theprocessor 310 through path 348. The connector 349 can be SMA or anyother type of connector known to those skilled in the art.

Dual Function Sensor Module:

FIG. 4 is block diagram of an exemplary dual function sensor module.Shown in FIG. 4 are two distinct branches of signal sampling anddetection coupled to the processor 414 that make up the dual functioningcapability of the dual function sensor module, thus making this dualfunction sensor module simultaneously a spectrum analyzer and RF powerdetector. Input connector 401 is coupled to two input paths, with eachinput path leading to a different functional branch. One input pathleads to the spectrum analyzer branch of the dual function sensormodule, while the other input path leads to the RF power detector branchof the dual function sensor module.

One input path is coupled to signal conditioning block 405 which iscoupled to fast sampling ADC 409, which can be an ADC of 1 Gsps or anyother ADC type. The other input path is coupled to matching block 406which is coupled to detector block 410. The detector block 410 can bepeak, average, RMS, Diode, thermocouple, thermal, radiation, optical,and digital sampler. The detector block 410 outputs detected signal 411to slow sampling ADC 449, and then outputs digitized signal 416. Thefast sampling ADC 409 outputs digitized signal 412. The digitizedsignals 416 and 412 do not exist at the same time because only one ADCis enabled at any one time.

The processor 414 receives either digitized signal 416 or 412 forprocessing into transmission packets. Although ADC 409 can write toprocessor 414 directly, its data output may be too long for theprocessor 414. Thus ADC 409 can output data either directly to externalmemory 450 or through the processor 414 through duplex path 415. Theexternal memory 450 can be of any type. The processor 414 can also writeto or read from memory 450. The processor 414 sends digital data ofeither RF detect branch or spectrum analyzer branch to transceiver 418through path 417 in form of RF packets. It can also receive instructionsfrom the receiver module through path 417.

The transceiver 418 can be any transceiver capable of doing FSK(Frequency Shift Keying), QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), PSK(Phase Shift Keying), AM (Amplitude Modulation), and PM (PhaseModulation), OOK (On-off Keying), CPM (Continuous Phase Modulation),OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency-division multiplexing), RF4CE, ZigbeeiControl, Bluetooth/BLE, wavelet modulation, wireless USB, TCM (Trelliscoded Modulation), spread spectrum modulation techniques such as FHSS(Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) and other spread spectrumtechniques, and any variants of the modulation schemes mentioned asunderstood by those who are skilled in the art. The transceiver 418 thentransmits the data from the processor 414 through path 423 using antenna422. The antenna 422 can be a microstrip, meandering dipole, aperture,dish, dipole, loop, antenna array or any combination of antenna designsas understood by those skilled in the art.

The sensor peripherals need different clocking schemes to achievefunctionality and that is where the clock generating chip 424 comes in.The clock generating chip 424 receives instructions from processor 414which program its registers to output clock needed for all purposes onthe board. The clock generating chip 424 output clocks for thefollowing: Clk1 for transceiver 418, Clk2 for external memory 450, Clk3for ADC 409, Clk4 for ADC 449. The clock generating chip 424 has to haveits own clock source which it gets from an oscillator 452. Clockgenerating chip 424 can be a PLL, Direct Digital Synthesizer, DigitalSynthesizer, timing signal generator, and any other clock generatingtechnique. The processor 414 also requires its own clock source forproper functioning which it can get from oscillator 420. The oscillator452 and oscillator 420 can be crystal oscillators and any other type ofsimilar reference clock scheme.

There is also need for external triggering for the dual function sensormodule if the signal in question for sampling, detection and analysis isof pulsed type as opposed to continuous wave. This requires externaltriggering that can be coupled through connector 426 to processor 414.The connector 426 can be SMA or any other known type.

The peripherals of the dual function sensor module need power tofunction. There is a battery 438 which serves as the main source ofvoltage and current for the peripherals on the dual function sensormodule. The battery 438 can be cylindrical cell, button cell, prismaticLithium-Ion cell, polymer cell, and pouch cell or any other typebattery. The battery 438 outputs voltage and current, which power isdistributed to all circuit elements of the Detector module. The batteryoutput is broken into 409 paths which in turn deliver power to allcircuit elements that need it. The distribution of power PWR is tooscillator 452, to clock generating chip 424, to transceiver 418, tooscillator 420, to processor 414, to external memory 450, to ADC 409, toRF detector 410, and to ADC 449.

The battery 438 is rechargeable, and that task is accomplished by thecharging block 436 which can be a linear standalone Li-Ion batterycharger or a switching supply, or a switching buck boost or any othertype known to those skilled in the art. The battery 438 is charged usingcombination of solar energy and ambient RF energy of the near field. Theantenna 432 gathers ambient RF near field energy and couples it tocharging block 436 which is then used to charge the battery 438. Solarpanel 433 also gathers energy from the sun and passes it to the chargingblock 436 through path 435. Either form of energy is managed and sent tocharge the battery 438.

Receiver Module:

FIG. 5 presents an exemplary block diagram of the receiver module of theinvention. The receiver module is responsible for the reception of thedetected and digitized signal from all the other sensor modules. It thenconducts numerical analysis, filtering, characterization, conversion,and formatting of the received signal and then displays the results oneither a PC, or a laptop of the user's choosing. It can also play acoordinating role to create a network of sensor modules for proactiveadaptive analysis or a mobile network of sensor modules in which theattention of analysis can shift from one set of sensor modules toanother. Since the system is a duplex system, the receiver module cansend instructions to all sensor modules that are part of its network. Inessence the receiver module is the master part of the system and thesensor modules are the slave parts of the system. The receiver modulesends data to the sensor modules that set the values on the registers ofthe blocks on the sensor modules through the on board processors thatare on all sensor modules which in turn determines which outputs areactive for functionality, thus making the system adaptive to changingmeasurement needs.

Referring to FIG. 5, the receiver module receives and transmits signalsfrom and to the sensor modules with FSK modulation through the antenna502. The duplex signals are transmitted from the receiver to the antenna502 from the transceiver 505. The signals from the sensor modules arereceived by the receiver module's transceiver 505. The transceiver 505is interfaced to an FPGA/microprocessor block 509. The transceiver 505sends received data to the processor block 509 through path 506, whilereceiving instruction data for sensor modules from processor block 509through path 507. The processor block 509 is interfaced to several otherblocks that complete the functionality of the receiver module.

The processor block 509 is preferably comprised of an FPGA if the systemis to have both time domain amplitude RF power detection capability aswell as frequency domain spectral analysis capability. The processorblock 509 using an FPGA will contain the digital hardware logic that cando the spectral analysis, time domain representation amplitudeconversion, digital filtering, and formatting for display that is neededfor both those functions. Yet the FPGA needs also several peripheralsinterfaced to it for obtaining full functionality. The FPGA processorblock 509 needs to have a flash device block 510 that will reprogram theFPGA in case of a power outage or when the device is turned off. Theflash device 510 can be of either NAND or NOR technology types. Theflash block 510 can reprogram the FPGA processor block 509 by sending ahardware and software image file to the FPGA by path 512. Before theuser receives the system for use, the flash block 510 is programmed withthe necessary hardware and software image file by the FPGA processorblock 509 using path 511.

The processor block 509 that is comprised of an FPGA for doing timedomain and frequency domain analysis may need an external memory block529 which could be used to store incoming data for sequence storage andanalysis by the FPGA processor block 509. The external memory block 529may be of type DDR SDRAM, SDR, DRAM, ROM or any other types known tothose skilled in the art. The data to external memory block 529 would bewritten to and read from the external memory block 529 by the FPGAprocessor block 509. The external memory block 529 can be used tocapture anomalous events and long sequence of unusual signal modulation,which can then be read back and analyzed by the FPGA processor block509.

The blocks in the receiver module need to have clock signals in order tofunction properly. The clock generating chip 545 produces the clocksignals the peripherals of the receiver module need in order to achievefunctionality. The clock signals that the clock generating chip 545produces are as follows: Clk1 for Flash block 510, Clk2 for USB block519, Clk3 for Ethernet block 516, Clk4 for transceiver block 505, andClk5 for external memory block 529. The clock generating chip 545 has adedicated clock source through oscillator 546 that provides the clocksignal to the clock generating chip 545. The clock generating chip 545can be programmed by the FPGA/processor block 509 to output clocks ofwhatever frequency is needed for any peripheral through path 551.

The overall system can be set up to be part of a LAN. This means notonly is the system capable of broadcasting data over a LAN, but it canalso receive data requests from multiple users on the LAN. Thus, inorder to achieve this functionality, the receiver module has to have aRJ45 528 connector to be able to give access to LAN for data andrequests. The receiver module will also have to have an Ethernet Phy 516which can format data for LAN and send data to LAN, while receivingrequests from LAN through path 531. The Ethernet block 516 has to beinterfaced to the FPGA processor block 509 from which it gets data,while sending requests from LAN through path 530.

The FPGA processor block 509 is interfaced with a USB block 519 whichprovides formatting for the serial signals sent from the FPGA processorblock 509 and provides the user selection data sent from the user PCinterfaced to the Receiver. The user PC has software for the user tointerface with the system. The FPGA processor block 509 sends data tothe USB block 519 through path 514 while the FPGA processor blockreceives requests from the USB block 519 through path 515. The USB block519 is connected to a USB connector 527 for reception of user requestsand through path 520 for data output.

The USB block 519 is also used as a source of power for FPGA processorblock 509 and all other peripherals on the receiver module board. TheUSB block 519 delivers power to PGA block 509, to Ethernet block 516, tothe external memory block 529, to the transceiver block 505, to therlash block 510, to the oscillator clock 525, to the clock generatingchip 545 and to the oscillator 546.

If a USB port from the PC cannot provide enough current and voltage toall the peripherals of the receiver module, then standard power frombuilding outlets can be used. This power can be brought to the receivermodule from standard connector 548 through path 549 to switch 550 whichcan switch power being distributed from USB to outlet or vice versa.

There is a crystal oscillator block 525 that distributes a referenceclock signal to the FPGA/microcontroller processor block 509. If thisclock signal is fed to the FPGA processor block 509, it can be used bythe FPGA to produce clock signals of a variety of frequencies. The FPGAblock 509 can use the reference clock signal along with its internal PLL(Phase Locked Loop) logic elements to produce clock signals of differentfrequencies which are usually whole number multiples of the referencesignal and can be outputted from the FPGA block 509 to other peripheralssuch as external memory block 529 and Ethernet block 516.

An external trigger option is available for pulsed RF power to beanalyzed by the system. The external trigger can be inputted into thesystem through an external trigger SMA connector 526 on the receivermodule (FIG. 5). The external trigger signal needs to be a standard TTLlogic signal that will traverse through the receiver module to theFPGA/microprocessor block 509 through path 313. The trigger willdetermine when the data is collected and analyzed by the system.

In the present invention, the specific measurements of RF power in timedomain, spectral analysis in frequency domain, phase, and filtering ofunwanted interference signals using synthesizable RF signals are done bythe sensor modules. The dual function sensor module provides twofoldcapacity for both time domain RF power measurement and frequency domainspectral analysis. The receiver module portion of the invention is notnew but is needed to accompany the sensor modules and provide overallsystem functionality.

In the present invention, the sensor modules are coupled in a wirelesslink between the sensor modules and what is called in the market asmeter portion, herein referred to as the receiver module. Now multiplechannels of measurement from multiple sensor modules can be coupled to asingle meter, and a single meter can provide not only many measurementfunctions but act as a source to change to the RF environment in whichthe device operates. The system is thus not a meter in the traditionalsense, but rather an adaptive system that can collect necessary data andthen determine a plan of action to actively change the signals that areaffecting an RF network such as a cellular system. The present inventioncan be used as a new type of network management tool or justinstrumentation for true remote monitoring and simultaneousexperimentation in many different areas of industrial application,manufacturing, or development.

The present invention thus comprises a combination of:

-   -   an RF power detector sensor module;    -   a spectrum analyzer sensor module which, in one embodiment, is a        dual function;    -   spectrum analyzer sensor module;    -   an RF interference and noise filtering sensor module;    -   a dual function sensor module; and    -   a receiver module;    -   all of the sensor modules being wireless;

and various sub-combinations of the sensor modules together with areceiver module which in essence orchestrates the operation and anyinteroperation of the sensor modules. Useful sub-combinations that canbe set up to make a complete system include, but are not necessarilylimited to:

1. Two RF power detector sensor modules and a receiver module, with eachsensor module having different dynamic range, frequency of operation andinput power capability.

2. Two spectrum analyzer sensor modules and a receiver module, each withdifferent bandwidth.

3. One RF power detector sensor module and one spectrum analyzer sensormodule with one receiver module.

4. Two RF power detector sensor modules of differing frequency ofoperation, dynamic range, and input power capability, one spectrumanalyzer sensor module and a receiver module.

5. One RF power detector sensor module, two spectrum analyzer sensormodules of differing bandwidth and a receiver module.

6. One dual function sensor module, one RF power detector sensor module,one RF interference and noise filtering sensor module and a receivermodule.

7. One dual function sensor module, one RF interference and noisefiltering sensor module, and one spectrum analyzer sensor module and areceiver module.

8. One RF power detector sensor module, one RF interference and noisefiltering sensor module, one spectrum analyzer sensor, and a receivermodule.

9. Two dual function sensor modules with the power functions on eachdual function sensor module differing in frequency of operation, dynamicrange, and input power capacity. The spectrum analyzer functions on eachdual function sensor modules differing by bandwidth. Along with a singleRF interference and noise filtering sensor module and a receiver module.

10. Two RF interference and noise filtering sensor modules and one dualfunction sensor module with a receiver module.

11. One spectrum analyzer sensor module and one RF interference andnoise filtering sensor module with a receiver module.

12. One dual function sensor module and one RF interference and noisefiltering sensor module and a receiver module.

13. One dual function sensor module and one RF power detector sensormodule with a receiver module.

14. One dual function sensor module and one spectrum analyzer sensormodule and one receiver module.

15. One RF power detector sensor module, one spectrum analyzer sensormodule, one dual function sensor module, one RF interference and noisefiltering sensor module and a receiver module.

16. One RF power detector sensor module, and three spectrum analyzersensor modules that differ in bandwidth with one receiver module.

17. Two spectrum analyzer sensor modules, and RF two power detectorsensor modules. The spectrum analyzer sensor modules differ from eachother in bandwidth while the RF power detector sensor modules differfrom each other in frequency of operation, bandwidth, and input powercapability. These sensor modules are coupled to a single receivermodule.

18. Three RF power detector sensor modules and one spectrum analyzersensor module with one receiver module.

19. Four RF power detector sensor modules with differing dynamic range,frequency of operation, and input power capability and one receivermodule.

20. Four spectrum analyzer sensor modules covering different bandwidthsand one receiver module.

21. Two spectrum analyzer sensor modules with different bandwidths andtwo RF interference and noise filtering sensor modules with one receivermodule.

22. One spectrum analyzer sensor module and three RF interference andnoise filtering sensor modules and one receiver module.

23. Three dual function sensor modules and one RF interference and noisefiltering sensor module with a receiver module.

24. Two dual function sensor modules, two RF interference and noisefiltering sensor modules, and one receiver module.

25. Three RF interference and noise filtering sensor modules and onedual function sensor module with one receiver module.

As used in the claims to follow, the word “instructions” is used in thegeneral sense to include, among other things, settings, commands andother data, and “information” is also used in the general sense toinclude, among other things, status, settings, measurements and otherdata.

Thus, the present invention has a number of aspects, which aspects maybe practiced alone or in various combinations or sub-combinations, asdesired. While certain preferred embodiments of the present inventionhave been disclosed and described herein for purposes of illustrationand not for purposes of limitation, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the full breadth of the following claims.

What is claimed:
 1. An RF monitoring and diagnostic system comprising:an RF power detector sensor module having an RF power detector sensorinput and having a transceiver for receiving instructions from areceiver module and transmitting RF power detector measurements of an RFsignal; a spectrum analyzer sensor module having a spectrum analyzerinput and having a transceiver for receiving instructions from andtransmitting spectral analyses of an RF input at the spectrum analyzerinput to the receiver module; an RF interference and noise filteringsensor module having a transmitter for transmitting an RF signal, andhaving a transceiver for receiving instructions from and transmittinginformation to the receiver module; a dual function sensor module havinga simultaneously operable spectrum analyzer and RF power detector, and atransceiver for receiving instructions from and for transmittinginformation to the receiver module; and the receiver module having atransceiver for transmitting instructions to and receiving data from theRF power detector sensor module, the spectrum analyzer sensor module,the RF interference and noise filtering sensor module and the dualfunction sensor module.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the RF powerdetector sensor module senses RMS, log, and peak RF power in accordancewith received instructions.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein thetransceiver in the spectrum analyzer sensor module is also fortransmitting spectral analyses of the RF input to a receiver of thetransceiver of the RF interference and noise filtering sensor module,the RF interference and noise filtering sensor module being configuredto transmit an interference cancelling signal responsive to the spectralanalysis.
 4. An RF monitoring and diagnostic system comprising: areceiver module having a wireless transceiver for transmittinginstructions to at least one RF sensor module and for receivingconditioned and sampled signals from the at least one RF sensor module,the receiver module further having a processor coupled to the wirelesstransceiver for processing the conditioned and sampled signals anduploading the processed signals onto a network; and the at least one RFsensor module selected from one or more of the following: a RF spectrumanalyzer sensor module having a signal conditioning circuit forconditioning an RF signal, a sampling circuit for sampling theconditioned RF signal, an external memory element for storage of thesampled RF signal, a processor for packetizing the stored RF signals,and a wireless transceiver for receiving instructions from the receivermodule and transmitting the stored RF signals to the receiver module, aRF power detector sensor module having an RF detector for sensing RFpower, a sampling circuit to sample the sensed RF power, an externalmemory element to store the sampled RF power, a processor forpacketizing the stored RF power, and a wireless transceiver forreceiving instructions from the receiver module and transmitting thestored RF power samples to the receiver module, a RF interference andnoise filtering module having a wireless transceiver for receivinginterference filtering instructions from and sending success and failureresponses to the receiver module, a synthesizer for synthesizing andactualizing at least one interference cancelling RF signal, a processorto manage a reference block, and a transmitter for transmitting theinterference cancelling RF signal; and a dual function sensor modulehaving a spectrum analyzer path comprising a signal conditioning circuitfor conditioning a RF signal and a sampling circuit for sampling theconditioned RF signal, a RF power detector path comprising an RFdetector for sensing RF power and a sampling circuit to sample thesensed RF power, a RF switch for enabling either the spectrum analyzerpath or the RF power detector path, a processor for packetizing sampledRF signal and RF power, and a wireless transceiver for receivinginstructions from the receiver module and transmitting the sampled RFsignals and RF power to the receiver module.
 5. The system of claim 4wherein the at least one RF sensor module comprises first and second RFpower detector sensor modules, the first and second RF power detectorsensor modules having different dynamic range, frequency of operationand input power capabilities.
 6. The system of claim 4 wherein the atleast one RF sensor module comprises first and second spectrum analyzersensor modules, the first and second spectrum analyzer sensor moduleshaving different sensing bandwidths.
 7. The system of claim 4 whereinthe at least one RF sensor module comprises the RF power detector sensormodule and the RF spectrum analyzer module.
 8. The system of claim 4wherein the at least one RF sensor module comprises at least one RFspectrum analyzer sensor module.
 9. The system of claim 4 wherein the atleast one RF sensor module comprises at least one RF power sensormodule.
 10. The system of claim 4 wherein the at least one RF sensormodule comprises a first RF sensor module comprising the dual functionsensor module, a second RF sensor module comprising the RF powerdetector sensor module, and a third RF sensor comprising the RFinterference and noise filtering sensor module.
 11. The system of claim4 wherein the at least one RF sensor module comprises a first RF sensormodule comprising the dual function sensor module, a second RF sensormodule comprising the RF interference and noise filtering sensor module,and a third RF sensor module comprising the spectrum analyzer sensormodule.
 12. The system of claim 4 wherein the at least one RF sensormodule comprises first and second RF sensor modules comprising dualfunction sensor modules, the two dual function sensor modules differingin frequency of operation, bandwidth, dynamic range, and input powercapacity, spectrum analyzer functions on each dual sensor modulesdiffering by bandwidth; and a third RF sensor module comprising the RFinterference and noise filtering sensor module.
 13. The system of claim4 wherein the at least one RF sensor module comprises a first RF sensormodule comprising the RF spectrum analyzer sensor module and a second RFsensor module comprising the RF interference and noise filtering sensormodule.
 14. The system of claim 4 wherein the at least one RF sensormodule comprises a first RF sensor module comprising the dual functionsensor module and a second RF sensor module comprising the RFinterference and noise filtering sensor module.
 15. The system of claim4 wherein the at least one RF sensor module comprises a first RF sensormodule comprising the dual function sensor module and a second RF sensormodule comprising the RF power detector sensor module.
 16. The system ofclaim 4 wherein the at least one RF sensor module comprises a first RFsensor module comprising the dual function sensor module and a second RFsensor module comprising the RF spectrum analyzer sensor module.
 17. Thesystem of claim 4 wherein the at least one RF sensor module comprisesfirst, second, third and fourth RF sensor modules, and wherein the firstRF sensor module comprises the spectrum analyzer sensor module, thesecond RF sensor module comprises the RF power detector sensor module,the third RF sensor module comprises the dual function sensor module,and the fourth RF sensor module comprises the RF interference and noisefiltering sensor module.
 18. The system of claim 4 wherein the at leastone RF sensor module comprises first, second, third and fourth RF sensormodules, and wherein the first, second and third RF sensor modules eachcomprise the RF power detector sensor module and the fourth RF sensormodule comprises the RF spectrum analyzer sensor module.
 19. The systemof claim 4 further comprising wherein the at least one RF sensor modulecomprises first, second, third and fourth RF sensor modules, and whereinthe first RF sensor module comprises a spectrum analyzer sensor moduleand the second, third and fourth RF sensor modules comprise RFinterference and noise filtering sensor modules.
 20. The system of claim4 further comprising wherein the at least one RF sensor module comprisesfirst, second, third and fourth RF sensor modules, and wherein the firstRF sensor module comprises an RF interference and noise filtering sensormodule and the second, third and fourth RF sensor modules comprise dualfunction sensor modules.